NBA Best and Worst Against the Spread
Scott Morris | November 28, 2018
Almost one quarter of the NBA season is in the bag and it has gone by in a flash. That is because the football season has been so attention consuming for your standard american bettor. But, the quarter mark is the perfect time to review which teams are doing well against the spread and which teams are not.
If I asked you off the top of your head, which NBA team do you think is the worst ATS? You would probably get the answer correct. That’s right, its the LA Lakers. It happens every time Lebron James jumps to a new team. The public wants to watch him play and throw some money on his team and consequently the spread gets bet up. Plus, everyone overestimates his immediate impact on a team. They don’t count the fact that he has to get used to playing with an entire new cast of players.
The LA Lakers are 7-13 against the spread and 11-9 straight up. They have been playing better after a slow start as they have gone 7-3 SU in their last ten. A professional handicapper has probably steered clear of betting the Lakers for the most part until they have had a chance to solidify. If anything, a pro handicapper has probably picked against the Lakers because he knew they were overvalued.
The very mediocre Dallas Mavericks leads the league in ATS record at 12-6. Their overall record is 9-9 and they are better than the experts expected them to be.
Golden State is off to a slower start than usual due to injury and other factors. They are 15-5 SU but just 9-13 ATS. Star player Steph Curry has been hobbled and may not make it to the court for Thursday night’s game at league leading Toronto (18-4 SU, 11-10-1 ATS). The betting line for this game is off until a injury list is finalized.
Other notable ATS records:
| Team | Record ATS | Record SU |
|---|---|---|
| The Good | ------- | ------- |
| Charlotte | 13-7 | 10-10 |
| Sacramento | 12-7-1 | 10-10 |
| Clippers | 12-7 | 13-6 |
| Knicks | 12-8-2 | 7-15 |
| The Bad | -------- | -------- |
| Washington | 8-12 | 8-12 |
| Boston | 8-13 | 11-10 |
| Houston | 7-12 | 9-10 |
| Philly | 8-14 | 14-8 |
